Boss Mick McCarthy was pleased with his team’s performance, despite the Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Burnley ending their hopes of reaching the play-offs.

“I thought it was very good, until conceding the goal and then when we got a bit loose, but I thought we played very well,” he said.

“I thought they started well, we didn’t. I thought we grew into the game and got better when the first half settled down and it was fairly even.

“I thought we started the second half better than them and were on top when we conceded. We missed one tackle and it ended up in the back of the net because they’ve got Johnny-on-the-spot. Goals change the course of games. I thought we played well, I was really pleased with my team.”

McCarthy defended not throwing the kitchen sink at the already-promoted Clarets from the start.

“I’ve just spoken to the TV because they ask bonkers questions. It’s as if I should have started with four or five centre-forwards and two left wingers and two right wingers because we must win it.

“How do you win a game? You win a game with a team effort and I thought we had a really good team effort up and until the goal. They got a bit of good fortune I thought, just in terms of missing the tackle.

“I thought our performance was really good. But a ‘must-win game’. It’s interesting that. What do you do, throw all your principles and everything out the window to change it and do something different?

“If I could do that I would have done that at Reading in the first game of the season and we would have pissed the league and been up.”

The Blues boss said there was an inevitability that it was Michael Kightly, one of his players at Wolves, who scored the game’s only goal.

“It’s always somebody I’ve had who scores against us,” he added. “It’s been like that throughout my career. If I could keep them all, I’d be all right, wouldn’t I?

“He’s a good player, Kights, he’s got his je ne sais quoi or whatever it might be. He had so many injuries.

“If he hadn’t been injured like he was at Wolves, he would have been a top player in a top team throughout. I’m really delighted for him that he’s back playing at that level because he’s a great kid.”

McCarthy says Burnley fully deserve their promotion, which they celebrated on the pitch after the game.

“Without a doubt, outstandingly good value,” he said. “We went toe to toe with them at Portman Road and it was a really good game.

“Tough, hard-fought, both teams worked very hard but they just had the guy on the spot that day and it was a bit the same today.

“They’ve deserved it, they’ve had an outstandingly good season. Well done to them, enjoy it and don’t listen to all the doom and gloom-mongers. Enjoy it and I’m sure they will.”

Burnley manager Sean Dyche was pleased that his players put in another top performance despite having nothing left to play for.

“I spoke before the game and I felt it was very important to go about our business in the correct manner,” he said.

“I never doubted it for a second, if I’m honest. I believe in the way the players work on a daily basis. I’ve mentioned it a hundred times and my belief is that if you do it right all the time you don’t need to flick that switch and try and turn it on."

The Town boss had hoped that the Clarets might be off their game having confirmed their place in the Premier League and Dyche was well aware of that danger.

“Mick’s been down this road before so he’s wise enough to know that it can happen where a team don’t quite retain that edge. I’m pleased that our focus was clear today.

“It was important to show signs of what we’re about and what we’ve been about all season. My mentality is that winning is key, whatever you’re winning for. And I thought that was on show again today for the group.”

Photo: Action Images

Surco72 added 19:06 - Apr 26 I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me because I don't enjoy watching negative ,lets not get beat football thanks . If you are happy watching football like today then good luck to you , not all of us are , I agree certain things have improved under MM but I am not going to jump up and down as if he is some kind of messiah that has improved us drastically when I just don't see it and points and tables don't lie , so if we haven't improved vastly in our points why does the football being served up have to be so dull ? We will not get out of this league playing how we do , 5 or 10 years ago maybe ,no longer

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BriggEnd added 19:29 - Apr 26 Today was a powder puff performance to say what was at steak. Our midfield is not up to the job they add nothing in creating goals and our strikers are feeding off crumbs. Why today for the first 60 odd minutes did we play with just one striker up front the mind boggles when we should have gone all out attack straight away in the second half. This season has been progress under mick and i think with a bit of wheeling and dealing in the summer we can be a very serious promotion team in the new season. Missing Mcgoldrick for the last few games has cost us the chance of sneaking into the playoffs. Keep the faith fellow townies mick is the man to leed us to the promised land.

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bluetractor73 added 19:54 - Apr 26 All these people moaning about mick's comments should remember what he has done for the club he took us from certain relegation to the verge of the playoffs would you prefer that we had Keane or jewell still in charge mick has done a magnificent job keep up the good work here's looking to next season
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blueboy1981 added 20:08 - Apr 26 Surco72 ........... absolutely right. Good post - the only satisfied people are the 'happy chappies' who are notoriously EASY to please - and they always will be. Don't ask me why .......... please.
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Letchworth_Blue added 20:23 - Apr 26 Surco, entitled to your opinion mate. Good post. How long will the "look how much we've improved" mob last when we have another 5 years of mediocre crud served up. We need serious investment and changes to be considered play-off contenders or more.
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halsteadblue added 20:33 - Apr 26 I truely believe the only reason we just missed out on the play offs this season was when we lost David Mcgoldrick to injury if he was fit I personally think we would of got those extra few points we would of needed that said as much as I am really disappointed today to have come so close with highs and lows we have had a good season the best for many a year well done to mick and all the lads great effort and proud of you you all for that I am already looking forward to next season and our trip to carrot road keep the faith its going to be our year next year.......COYB

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blueboy1981 added 20:35 - Apr 26 Letchworth Blue ....... agree with your post, BUT tactics and unexplained / non logical substitutions have blunted the potential of the team and the players we have. Therefore if I were Evans I would want to see the current squad realise it's maximum potential before I released the purse strings, particularly in view of the current FP Reg's. Evans doesn't need, as has been said, to know much at all about the game to see / know that these issues have played a major part in us finishing around halfway / just above in the table. This squad of players have / had more potential than that. That's the shame of it all. Many people in the game will know just that.

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NoelTheDub added 20:35 - Apr 26 Mick if your pleased with that I rest my case having said that you must be happy losing 1 0 to super Burnley.You handed them a walk in the park today or didnt want to spoil the party.Sorry Mick it was an awful performance all round and you waited an hour to change and that was when we were 1 down.Everything was wrong from the start and my mind boggles as to what you ask the lads to do when they go out or has any of Micks supporters on here explain what was the plan today and many others over the season it was bottless today no other words for it im sorry..

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JohnWarksTash added 20:40 - Apr 26 How can anyone complain about this season.....you lot have such short memories! Last year we were battling relegation! This year we are almost in the play offs? Yes the football had been less attractive than we would like and Mick tends to err on the side of caution, but I know I would rather that than have a team of big time charlie's or older pros coming to the end of their career who have no interest in the badge taking their ways and then moving on. I'm no 'happy chappie' and we'll not be happy if we don't make any progress next season, but the turnaround so far is brilliant! The trouble these days is people want instant results or the same level of success we had in the good old days...get real people it will never happen! Let Mick keep building and maybe next season top 6 might happen!! I lived through the days of John Duncan, and Bobby Ferguson so know what it means to watch your team fall apart and be rebuilt and this current position is exactly the same. Keep the faith my friends!

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TimmyH added 20:41 - Apr 26 Evans should give him another £1M to get us in the play-offs, considering how many silly home games we should of won this season but didn't he should find that to difficult and he might have to adopt a more attacking policy.
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SouperJim added 20:56 - Apr 26 Garv et al, yes we are not the finished article. Mick has had limited funds so has crafted a team which works very hard, is professional and gives their all. He has favoured a conservative brand of football built around effort and organisation, because we lack the creative players to do anything else. That is not weak management, quite the reverse. Compare to Jewell's attempt to be world beaters with a squad of panel beaters. It does not work. Complain about the situation, complain about the millions wasted on big time charlies, but don't complain about Mick McCarthy. He can't have done any better with what he has been given and under him there is realistic hope moving forward, if we are patient. His comments about the way we played today are spot on. We played the way we have played all season, as that is what has brought us the degree of success we have gained. You don't play one way right to the brink of the play-offs and then throw the script out the window at the last minute. As Mick said, if ship or bust football was a recipe for success then we would have employed it from day one. We lost a very tight game away to a promoted side 1-0. We kept it tight for an hour and then attempted to roll out the "big guns", it didn't quite come off. We are not a million miles away. If you think Mick doesn't know where the weaknesses in our squad are and which players are holding us back, you are deluded. He lacks a magic wand but I'm sure he knows what is required next year. Short-termism is what us got us into a mess in the first place.

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Hiltzkooler added 21:05 - Apr 26 A drowning man grabs to any old thing to stay a float...that's my only rationalisation reading some of this commentary....MM...a has been, dinosaur, reaping one last pay ticket off a desperate owner trying to realise a forlorn, never to be realised, quick buck....just got in...fed up and peed off...should have known better...tried to believe, but Mick, you just let me down...as others have said would rather you go for it and fail trying ...your brand of football is dead...move on please....

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TimmyH added 21:06 - Apr 26 @SouperJim - against a Burnley side for the most part of the game looked like they really couldn't be arsed... Again tactics/formations didn't look right from the off with Richardson playing in midfield, Hunt, Green and the anonymous Skuse are hardly going to scare an automatically promoted team.
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NoelTheDub added 21:09 - Apr 26 JohnWarksTash.....I for one am happy with the season but cannot except a gutless effort like today.It was hard to defend my team when you see what the manager clearly got it wrong again.The last 4 months should have been an exciting time to watch and support our team and see what happens but instead we were bored with the dross teams and tactics Mick was deploying.It was a chance and a change from other seasons to put bums on seats at PR or give the playoffs a real go both fizzled out.Theres been a ball and chain around the players most of the season and its my view we could and should have done better thats all..

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Pip50 added 21:11 - Apr 26 You what on planet are. MM pLease put in order!!
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Sindre94 added 21:14 - Apr 26 Delighted with the season? Absolutely. Delighted with the game itself? Absolutely not. It was terrible. We were never going to win this one, and I cannot recall one clear-cut oppurtunity that we created. It's been a great season, but this was a disappoiting performance. Good effort lads, next year its ours
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Sindre94 added 21:16 - Apr 26 *perhaps the Richardson and Smith chances are fair to mention, but overall it wasnt good enough
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JWM added 21:16 - Apr 26 Great post Souper Jim but it's wasted on some of the negative cretins on here.
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northants added 21:41 - Apr 26 Some of you seem to have overlooked how important David mcgoldrick is to us. Imagine him and Williams today....think we'd have been on par with a promoted side. No we don't have strength in depth but our best starting 11 assembled by mick really is top notch...
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Guru_of_Ipswich added 22:33 - Apr 26 Lets put today in context, we lost 1-0 away to a side that is going to finish on 90 odd points and will be the prem next season, we gave them a bloody good game and were going keep it tight and hit them in the last 30mins. What others options did mick have today? I would really love to know how old duffers would have set up more attacking. Oh yeah, paul taylor who best attacking move since he has been at ipswich is on a saturday night out.

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oldegold added 23:24 - Apr 26 Se JWM is back to his old tricks of insulting and offending Town supporters, calling them now "Negative cretins" and this coming from someone who purports to have been a supporter for 35 years. I was under the impression that the older supporters had a bit more class and taste but clearly JWM manifestly bucks that trend. I don't think for a second Town fans who have a different opinion to his are cretins in any way but are just voicing their ideas and opinions and it's time that JWM went off to support Bradford Park Avenue or Norwich. As stated before, clearly this "supporter" has some mental issues.

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BigAlsMate added 00:03 - Apr 27 What bothers me, is that when we have a game we MUST win, if we are to progress, he goes with what is really a defensive line up. Makes no sense at all. Ah well, there's hope for next season I guess.
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BondiBlue added 07:46 - Apr 27 has it ever occurred to those of you who constantly moan about mick saying that he's happy with average performances (we weren't awful yesterday) that he's saying it for the benefit of the players? he knows we weren't good enough and he'll set about improving us in the summer, but if he comes out and says 'we were s**t' it wouldn't do much for their self-belief - have you noticed the effect lee clark's honesty has had? i bet you're the same people who keep moaning about his man management and the fact that he has favourites aren't you. clueless.

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Hegansheroes added 09:16 - Apr 27 No positive comments here which is not surprising. Un fortunately throughout MM's managerial career his tactics have been to stifle and negate the opposition & then hit them on the break with long balls or from set pieces & if the team takes the lead to shut up shop. This style is negative, boring, unentertaining & obsolete & any half decent team can out manoeuvre these tactics, even Stevenage & Preston. This is one reason attendances have been so poor & why I & a lot of friends go to PR so rarely now, not because we are fair weather supporters but the standard of play is not acceptable. I actually think our league position is very flattering, so many teams have outplayed us & not got the deserved results. MM did his job in stabilising ITFC but he is incapable of turning us into an attractive team. He may get us promoted eventually but with him in charge in the premiership it would be embarressing

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Surco72 added 09:51 - Apr 27 northants .. the point is if Dids had remained fit Williams wouldn't have been brought in and definitely not played as that would be too attacking for an MM side . Murphy has to play as MM tactics for all his managerial career is too have a big target man and pump balls to him and see what happens . Take out set piece goals this season and how many have we scored or created from open play ?

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